Lokshahi, a Marathi news channel, has gone off air for 72 hours following a notice from the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry, said the channel’s editor-in-chief Kamlesh Sutar.
The channel had earlier broadcast a story on an explicit video purportedly showing BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, which allegedly showed him in a comprising position.
The channel went off air at 7 PM on Friday, with its editor saying that the notice was received at around 6:13 PM. Surat said that the he will fight the issue legally.
In a video released by Sutar, he said, “I wanted to give an important update to our viewers. The I&B ministry had given us a notice earlier regarding a story on Somaiya following which we had presented our say. Now we have received a notice asking us to take the channel off air for 72 hours. From 7 pm onwards, for the next 72 hours, you will not be able to see (our channel). We are taking legal advice.”
“We were hoping that we were given an opportunity to present our say. Even as the probe is still on, this feels like we are being punished. We will fight legally. We would have felt it fairer had we been given more time. We received a notice at 6.13 pm that from 7 pm you should take the channel off air. We will soon be back,” Sutar added, as quoted by The Indian Express.
He added, “We are hoping to get a new order from the court. Lokshahi will continue doing its work. Let an inquiry happen and let it come out with its findings. There is already an FIR against us. At Lokshahi, we are not scared as it is our democracy.”
Reacting to the news, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut called it an “emergency”, in an apparent reference to the 1975 Emergency during the Congress rule when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. Press freedom was severely curtailed during those times.
Earlier this month, the Mumbai Police had registered an FIR against Sutar and media person Anil Thatte for allegedly broadcasting video of Somaiya, reported The Indian Express.
Following uproar in the Maharashtra Assembly, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that the government will conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident.
Earlier, Somaiya had written to Fadnavis seeking an inquiry into the authenticity of the video and posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he had never abused a woman.